With my newly arrived and cleaned '43 Vapalux that I decided to keep (I bought it initially just for the dark blue, period-correct top reflector and was sprayed a lightish blue) this meant my Vapalux 1945 had to go. Indeed it is now under way to its new caretaker abroad. But about to packing it, I realised a quick comparisson between the two Vapalux 300 models was in order, as in those 2 years difference this model went through some changes. While their profile or silhouette looks the same at first glance, the initial difference to notice might be the collar that in time lost its multi-slit appearance somewhere in 1944. Hence on the 1945 lamp we see the new, solid collar with the one broad triangle opening that stayed with the W&B lamps well into the 1970's. before the M1 model with similar opening in its alloy collar bowed out. The 1943 model shows a much smaller opening that left little side room for the spindle and knob to poke out. Providing more room for lining up on assembly and perhaps simpler production, are likely motives for this change. Both collars are made of steel, as are the lamp cages. With that change, the lamp glass would follow suit, from a glass cylinder with a hole in it to a glass cylinder without that hole but with a slightly reduced height. Remarkable is that on the 1943 lamp that holed glass also shows a green logo by the maker Pyrex, while the 1945 lamp has a correct glass without any markings, perhaps only reasonable for a military lamp, but contributing to its enigmatic character. The hole was for priming and lighting the lamp; the new, lower glass without a hole allowed priming and lighting just by raising the glass, creating a slit high enough to administer spirit and a burning match, and this principle stayed with any lamp with such glass till the model M1 was phased out. For a while however there have appeared Vapalux 300 models with the new solid collar, yet with the old model glass . There is discussion about those lamps, as this combination made for a reduced effective priming. Perhaps they are another cross-over when W&B emptied their stocks indiscriminately, but the shown lamps here are considered 'correct'. With the paint removed off the 1945 tank, a process that might have needed only little help as the tanks in particular were not always well prepared before spraying, it is clear that item is made in brass once more. Previously, as the model 43 attests, steel was an intermediate material, perhaps to save brass for the war industry, or the need for a stouter lamp that was used almost exclusively by then by the military. That cannot be said of the brass ventilators and both are identical in shape and exclusive for the 300 model. Both have the year of production stamped in the rim, plus a mark (crowsfoot) of who owned them. But as can be seen on more lamps towards the end of the war, some of these, like this 1945 one, went without any mark or brand of the manufacturer. Perhaps another sign of increased efficiency to leave such embossing, especially when considering few in the army would complain about it. But with hindsight, it could also be that W&B was simply unloading a batch that was set aside initially because of that ommision. Either way, it is one of the most enigmatic lamps they have produced in Halifax, confusing even sellers, and only appeared in a short time span, from somewhere 1944 till the introduction of the multiholed ventilator model in 1946. The coolie-style steel tops are similar, save for a different colour of which the greyish blue seems earlier, in line with the lamps' dates. There seems to be a random occurence of flat tops shown here, or those with a slight dome in the middle like in the previous E41 top. Perhaps the darker blue was introduced when W&B were introducing new colours in anticipation of a returning civil market in 1944. Fact is that dark blue blends nicely with the newly arrived hood that was and still is the companion of the 1943 model. Thanks to Ian Ashton, who listed some patent numbers in his book, a corroborate number was found in the lower rim of the lamp cage of the 1943 model. With two different models of cages, I only then realised there could be such a (different) number in the 1945 lamp as well. So, prior to shipping, and after having it in the collection for quite a while, I discovered something that hinted at a patent number, this time to be read from the outside. To get it more clear I would have to alter the finish of a lamp I had sold already, so what more there is to uncover other then 'HALIFAX ENG PAT No' is up to the new owner. The Vapalux 300 was nearing the end of it's production run in 1945; the big-slotted ventilator (minus the flat top that would continue on the short-lived Vapalux 300X) would disappear from the W&B product range, as well as the steel collar and cage that were replaced by all brass items.
Thank you @M.Meijer a excellent comparison. Very interesting to learn about the evolution of war time Vapalux's.
My understanding/thought is that the dark blue hoods were to go with the cream coloured tanks which were, as you say, produced in anticipation of the post-war civilian market. Having said that (and the works diaries confirm it), August 1944 - a mere two months after D-Day - seems rather early to be looking so far ahead, particularly when at that time, W&B would, presumably, have been up to their arses in orders for the war effort. However, cream (and the concurrent chocolate brown) are hardly military colours and I can't think of any other reason for their introduction other than to appeal to the civilian market in better times ahead...
David, the only blue top with cream fount combination I have seen is in Ian's book. There he just describes what can be seen in one of the pictures. His narrative is about introducing other colours than the Rapidal Grey, which is a colour paint used on tanks and collars, not the colours of the enamelled tops. At least, that is how I read it. So to me the cream lamp with blue top is not a lamp with a set colour combination. I think there are many more blue enamelled tops that turned up than there are genuine cream Vapalux 300 founts. I assume the dark blue shade with the 1943 Vapa 300 is from the war years; ergo, W&B had that colour already on their palette. Or, created this new colour for top AND shade only in 1944, both of them dropped soon enough in around 1946. That means the 1943 lamp was merged -somewhere in Germany - with a shade that was produced later and was not produced for a long time. But it is possible...and I digress. So here is this colour blue appearing on the top, coolie style, as an enamel, and presumably developed for the civilian market. However, it also appeared on my military 1945 Vapalux 300, found in Germany as well. Not likely this lamp lost its original top which was replaced with a blue one. Not there, not then. But it is possible..... I think W&B just did their trick again, completing (military) lamps with whatever stock was available, in this case a blue coolie style top that would soon, as a model ánd colour, disappear.
